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Shoptalk 2019: A Smarter Way to Conference

Sep 5, 2018 by Shoptalk Team

Summary of What’s New in 2019

As Shoptalk gears up for its fifth show, we continue to set new standards for the industry and break new ground with our agenda and onsite programs. We’re thrilled to announce our preliminary agenda and our first 100+ speakers.

Learning has become critical to being a leader and key contributor in the retail industry. To succeed, retail leaders–and aspiring leaders–must now focus on their professional development to deepen their knowledge of retail trends and technologies. To facilitate this, Shoptalk is launching two new programs for 2019:

Shoptalk has created a standardized set of sessions we refer to as our Core Curriculum. Approximately half of our sessions will form this new curriculum–Core Curriculum courses (sessions) include many of the fundamentals of retail and will be repeated annually with updated perspectives and examples.

Shoptalk has also launched an Annual Retail Education Certificate which is awarded to those individuals who complete 10 credits of continuing education at Shoptalk. This certificate helps recipients distinguish themselves at a time when there is a significant divide in retail industry professionals’ knowledge of digital innovation.

Today’s Retail Industry Has Evolved

At the beginning of 2018, we published Shoptalk’s Framework for Retail, outlining how the retail industry has transitioned into a phase we call the New Normal, following a two-year period of Disruptive Change to the historical Legacy Normal.

The New Normal is characterized by optimism about transformation and by confidence in the future of retail. In this phase, disruptive innovation is embraced by the mainstream and is a top priority throughout the ranks of retailers and brands, increasingly touching every area of the organization. It is no longer simply reactive or something that a minority of people advocate.

The New Normal is an extended period that will continue far into the 2020s--during this time, innovation is no longer “if” or “why” but “who, what, when and how.”

Education Is Now Paramount

The next generation of leaders and key contributors will be those who are able to learn and adapt quickly, and to lead and encourage others around them to do the same.

Learning is the at heart of Shoptalk. We assemble our speakers based not only on their seniority and expertise, but also on their ability to teach our audience about the evolution of retail. Shoptalk speakers are at the forefront of change when it comes to how consumers discover, shop and buy. They are developing new retail experiences and business models; they are creating products that meet consumers’ shifting demands and bringing to market innovative new technologies. Our agenda and speakers come together in a narrative that outlines the critical changes in retail, from marketing and the customer experience to supply chain and logistics.

And with more than 8,000 attendees, all of whom have access to every one of the 100+ sessions on the agenda, Shoptalk has the largest as well as the most senior, diverse and engaged audience in the industry. This enables us to offer our attendees unique opportunities to learn not only in formal settings from our industry-leading lineup of 300+ speakers, but also via thousands of less formal interactions with each other, many of which are facilitated and curated by Shoptalk using proprietary personalization and matching systems.

Shoptalk’s New Standardized Core Curriculum Will Launch in 2019

To ensure that our attendees gain valuable learnings and insights during their time at Shoptalk, we are evolving our approach to the Shoptalk agenda, which consistently sets the industry standard.

Starting in 2019, approximately half of our 40-minute track sessions will form the standardized Core Curriculum. The same Core Curriculum course (session topic) will be offered every year, but with updated, current perspectives. Courses in the Core Curriculum cover a wide range of topics, from Innovations in Store Design to Hiring and Training Digital Talent, and from Selling on Marketplaces to Next Generation Supply Chains.

So, for example, if you’re interested in how to leverage user data more effectively to create a differentiated brand, you’ll be able to join the Customer Data and Brand-Building session every year at Shoptalk. In 2019, this session will feature three different perspectives from Walt Disney, GUESS? and Modell’s. And if you want to remain up to date, you can join us for a session on this same topic in 2020 where you’ll hear three new viewpoints.

Other sessions on the agenda–those outside the Core Curriculum that may not be repeated in 2020–address topics that are just as critical, but may be covered differently in future years. Some of these address highly topical issues; others focus on very specific subjects. Others still may lend themselves to a variety of approaches, so we may take a different angle on the topic in future years.

This groundbreaking new approach to standardizing industry education enables brands and retailers to get a fresh perspective each year on the core issues they must continue to address, and to learn from companies at the forefront of change.

Introducing Shoptalk’s Annual Retail Education Certificate

Starting in 2019, we will formally launch an annual certificate program for individuals who attend a minimum number of sessions and take part in other Shoptalk learning opportunities like Techtalks, Tabletalks and the Hosted Retailers & Brands Program.

Our Annual Retail Education Certificate is awarded each year to every individual who completes at least 10 credits of approved continuing education at Shoptalk. Credits are earned onsite during the event by attending our sessions–credits can also be earned through Tabletalks (interactive peer group discussions among retailers and brands), Techtalks (overviews of technology innovation presented by tech company executives) and through our Hosted Retailers & Brands Program (meetings with tech company executives). Credits will be awarded for these different types of onsite learning as follows:

Continuing Education

Credits

Track Sessions: Core Curriculum and others

1.0 credit per session

Main Stage Sessions

0.5 credit per session

Tabletalks *

1.0 credit per Tabletalk

Techtalks

0.5 credit per hour (10 Techtalks)

Hosted Retailers & Brands Program *

0.5 credits per hour (4 meetings)

* Retailers and brands only

In 2019, the learning opportunities at Shoptalk will be unprecedented. We look forward to seeing you there!